Ore-concentrator.



PATENTED NOV. 2l, 1905.

y w CL V m w M. R, LYLE.

ORE CONGENTRATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.29,1904

PTBNTED Nov. 21, 1905.

M. 11. LYLE. 011B 001101111111101.

APPLICATION FILED DBG. 29. 1904 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. WEWEWEW /A/VENTUI? JaZ'/eafj. Zg/Ze ATTORNEYS UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

. Application filed December 29, 1904. Serial No. 238,741.

To all whom it may oon/cern.-

Be it known that I, MATTHEW ROBERT LYLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Ore-Concentrator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to ore concentration, and concerns itself especially with the construction of a concentrator or dry washer.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of the class described which is simple in construction and which subjects the orebearing gravel or earth to a succession of separations by gravitation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved means for agitating the device during the concentrating process.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, representing one side of its casing and a feeding-hopper as removed, so as to illustrate the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a plan view with the hopper removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the complete apparatus. Fig. A is a vertical section taken substantially upon the line 4 4: of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section through the upper portion of the device, taken substantially upon the lines 5 5 of Figs. 2 and 3; and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal central section through a part of the agitating mechanism. A

Referring' more particularlyT to the parts, 1

`represents the body or casing of the device,

which consists of an elongated box-like structure constructed substantially as shown. This body is mounted so as to swing upon oppositely-disposed links 2, which support the same from the upper horizontal bar 3 of the substantially rectangular frame 4C. The vertical members or standards 5 of this frame are located adjacent to the end walls 6 of the body 1, so that as the said body swings longitudinally the said standards operate as buffers or stops which suddenly arrest the movements of the body.

Within the interior of the casing or body 1 I provide sluice-boxes 7, 8, and 9, preferably three in number, as shown, and disposed as indicated. The sluice-box 7 comprises an inclined bottom or board 10, which is disposed longitudinally within the casing, the lower edge 11 of the said board terminating adjacent to one of the end walls, as shown. Upon the upper face and at the upper portion of this bottom or board 10 a plurality of dividers or dividing-boards 12 are arranged longitudinally, as shown, the same being preferably disposed at an equal distance apart, as indicated. These dividing-boards preferably taper toward their upper edges 13, and these upper edges are preferably provided with a plurality of agitating-pins 14E, which project substantially vertically therefrom, as indicated. Between the dividing-boards a plurality of agitating-pins 14;a are mounted, which are similar to the pins 14.

It will be understood that the dividingboards 12 divide the space above the upper portion of the bottom 10 into a plurality of parallel troughs or gutters 15. The lower portion of the bottom `1O is provided with a plurality of longitudinally-disposed openings 16, which are arranged substantially in alinement with the aforesaid dividing-boards 12. The space between these openings 16is occupied by channels 17. the upper extremities whereof are disposed in the lower extremities of the gutters 15 in such a manner as to receive material gravitating down the gutters, as will be readily understood. These channels 17 are preferably of substantially the form shown, comprising horizontal webs or bottoms 18 and upwardly-projecting side iianges.

The sluice-box 8 is of substantially the same construction as the'sluice-box 7 and comprises a bottom 19, carrying dividing-boards 20 and channels 21, disposed therebelow in the same manner as that described. Between the channels 21 openings 22 are provided which are similar to the aforesaid openings 16, described in connection with the sluice-box 7. As indicated, the sluice-box 8 inclines in a direction opposite to that of the sluice-box 7, and the upper edge of the sluice-box 8 projects beyond the lower edge 11 of the sluice-box 7, so that material which gravitates down the upper sluice-box will find its way readily into the lower one. An arrangement similar to this is adopted at the lower edge 23 of the sluice-box 8, at which point the material gravitates onto the lowermost sluice-box 9. The construction of this sluice-box is substantially the same as that of the two above described, and it inclines in substantially the same direction as the sluice-box 7 which is, of course,

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opposite to the inclination of the intermediate sluice-box 8. The sluice-box 9 comprises a bottom 24 and dividing-boards 25, arranged as described above, which delivers the material to the channels 26. The dividing-boards and the gutters of both the sluice-boxes 8 and 9 are provided with agitating-pins 27 27a, which are similar to the pins 14, already referred to, and similarly arranged. Between the channels 26 openings 28 are provided which are similar to the openings 16 and 22, described in connection with the upper sluiceboxes. The lower extremities of the channels 26 are disposed above a receiver 29, into which the concentrated ore passes, and from this receiver a suitable pipe or tube 30 leads.

Referring especially to Figs. 4 and 5, it should be said `that below the sluice-box 7 a vertically-arranged partition 31 is placed, and this partition 31 divides off a reduced chamber 32, which constitutes a receiver for waste gravel or earth which comes from the sluicebox 7. To this end beneath the openings 16 aforesaid a deflector plate or chute 33 is placed, which deflector-plate inclines transversely, as shown, and in suoli a manner as to deliver the material falling upon it into the chamber 32. The waste gravel from the sluice-box 8 is disposed of in a similar manner. 1t passes through the openings 22 and falls into a chute 22, the said chute being substantially similar to the chute 33 and delivering likewise into the chamber 32.

The ore-bearing earth and gravel would be fed into the device through a suitable hopper 34, placed, preferably, as shown, above the upper extremity of the sluice-box 7. By means of agitating mechanism 35, the construction of which will be described more fully'hereinafter, the casing or body 1 will be rocked to and fro, the end walls of the same bumping alternately against the standards 5 in such a manner as to stop the swinging movements with a jar. This jar tends to produce a gravitation of the materials down the sluice-boxes. The inertia of the materials contained within the body coperating with the agitating-pins 14 and 27 operates to bring about an agitation above the upper portions of the sluice-boxes.

This process of course operates to arrange the earths into strata, tending to concentrate the heavier particles near the bottoms of the sluice-boxes. As this separating process takes place the particles of ore gravitate slowly in the direction of the channels belowv them. As the materials reach the position of the channels it is expected that the principal portions of the ore particles will have settled and the lighter particles at a height greater than the upper edges of the fianges 9 will find exit through the openings 16 between -the channels. In this way a separation of the heavier ore from the lighter earth is brought about, and this process is substantially repeated twice as the material passes through the device.

As the process progresses upon the lowest sluice-box 9 the concentrated ore gravitates downward in the channels 26 and all of the waste products from the sluice-boxes 8 and 9 find exit through the openings 28 between the channels at this point.

The agitating mechanism 35 will now be described. This mechanism consists of a barrel 36, having a reduced tubular neck 37, which facilitates its attachment to a knuckle 38, carried by the side of one of the links 2 aforesaid. l/Vithin the barrel 36 a plunger 39 is slidably mounted, the body 40 whereof is of reduced diameter, as shown, and carries at its extremity 'a head 41, which is slidably mounted in the bore of the aforesaid neck 37. By reason of the reduced dimensions of the body 40 ofthe plunger 39 a shoulder 42 is formed at the end of the barrel remote from the head 41. Against this shoulder 42 a loose washer or collar 43 thrusts, and a similar l washer 44 is provided at the opposite extremity of the barrel which is maintained against the end of the barrel, as shown. vBetween these washers 43 and 44 a helical spring 45 is arranged, which holds the washers normally in the position in which they are illustrated. The extremity of the barrel 36 remote from the neck 37 is closed by a guide-thimble 46,.

through which the enlarged portion of the plunger 39 slides freely, as will be readily understood. The extremity of the plunger 39 is formed with an eye 47, which affords means for attaching the same to a short arm 48, proliectng radially from a shaft 49, the said shaft being rotatable byv means of a suitable crank 50, as will be readily understood. This construction of the agitating mechanism gives a very desirable iiexibility, which will appear from the following outline of its mode of operation. When the crank 50 is rotated continuously in one direction, the arm 48 will of course operate to reciprocate the barrel 36 and the link with which it is connected. In this manner a rocking movement is imparted to the body 1. The rocking movement in each direction is arrested suddenly by the body coming into contact with the uprights 5, and this contact takes place before the body has reached the extreme position which it would ordinarily arrive at if the connection between the link and the arm 48 were simply a bar; but the arresting of the movement of the body in this manner does not interfere with the continuous rotation of the crank by reason of the spring 45 and simply results in a compression of that spring sufficient to allow the arm 48 to pass its deadcenter positions. Thus, supposing the body is moving toward the left and as it advances it is arrested by the standard, the further movement of the plunger 39 will advance the collar 43 toward the left, compressing the spring, as will be readily understood. The arresting of the movement in the opposite direction will be followed by a continuous move- IOO IOS

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ment of the plunger 39 toward the right,which will result in moving the collar 44 toward the right, which will compress the spring 45 as before.

While the concentrator described is intended to be used especially in the refining of gold ores or similar ores having a high specific gravity, it may be evidently applied in the rening processes of ores of all kinds the specific gravity of which would be higher than the earth material with which the ore occurs. If desirable, the number of sluice-boxes may be increased and their inclination changed, and the proportions of the separating devices may be changed as found necessary to increase the eiiciency of the apparatus when applied to an ore of a particular density.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A concentrator of the class described comprising an inclined sluice-box having elongated openings at the bottom thereof, channels presenting elevated edges at the edges of said openings, and means for rocking said box so as to advance the material contained therein progressively .by gravitation toward the lower extremities of said openings.

2. A concentrator of the class described, comprising an inclined box having a plurality of elongated substantially parallel -openings formed in the bottoni thereof, and a plurality of parallel channels disposed in the space between said openings and having upwardlyturned edges lying substantially`above the edges of said openings.

3. A concentrator of the class described, comprising an inclined bottom,longitudinally disposed dividing-boards disposed upon the upper face of said bottom and presenting gutters therebetween, and channels disposed at the lower ends of said gutters and adapted to receive material therefrom, said bottom having openings between said channels.

4. A concentrator, comprising an inclined bott-om having a plurality of longitudinallydisposed dividing-boards attached to the upper face thereof and presenting gutters therebetween, and pins attached to said dividingboards and projecting upwardly from the upper edges thereof.

5. A concentrator, comprising an inclined bottom, longitudinally disposed dividingboards upon the upper face of said bottom and tapering toward their upper edges, and pins attached at said upper edges and projecting upwardly therefrom.

l 6. A concentrator, comprising an inclined` bottom having a plurality of longitudinallydisposed dividing-boards carried on the upper portion thereof, pins projecting upwardly from said dividing boards, said dividingboards presenting gutters therebetween, and channels carried by the upper face of said bottom and projecting into said gutters to receive material therefrom, said bottom having longitudinally disposed openings lying between said channels, the upper edges of said channels being elevated with respect to said openings.

7. A concentrator, comprising an inclined bottom with openings therethrough and channels on the upper face thereof, and a deflecting-plate inclined transversely beneath said openings and adapted to eject material falling thereupon.

8. A concentrator, comprisinga sluice-box having openings in the bottom thereof, channels disposed between said openings, a second sluice box disposed beneath the iirst and adapted to receive the concentratesv therefrom, and a deiecting-plate inclined transversely beneath said openings and adapted to eject material falling thereupon.

9. An ore-concentrator,comprising a sluicebox having longitudinally-disposed openings through the bottom thereof, channels disposed between said openings, said sluice-box being inclined, a second sluice-box disposed beneath the first, inclining in the opposite direction and adapted to receive concentrates from"said first sluice-box, and a deiectingplate disposed under said openings and adapted to eject material falling thereupon.

10. An ore-concentrator, comprising a plurality of sluice-boxes inclining alternately in opposite directions and disposed one above the other, whereby the lower sluice-boxes may receive concentrates from the upper, said sluice-boxes having inclined bottoms with longitudinally disposed openings near the lower portions thereof, channels disposed longitudinally between said openings, and a plurality of dividing-boards disposed at the upper portions of said bottoms and presenting gutters therebetween delivering to said channels.

11. An ore-concentrator, comprising a casing, a substantially vertical partition dividing off a portion of said casing, an inclined sluice-box disposed within said casing and having openings therethrough through which the material may pass, and an inclined plate beneath said openings and adapted to eject said materials into the space behind said partition.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTHEW ROBERT LYLE.

Witnesses:

JAMEs P. HARRIS, CLARENCE URowELL.

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